Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal on Friday condemned the “unfriendly and populist” measures of Poland, which announced a day ago that it would extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine, regardless of what decision the European Commission takes on this matter, Reuters reports.

“Poland continues to block the export of Ukrainian wheat to the EU in this critical period. This is an unfriendly and populist step that will seriously affect global food security and Ukraine’s economy,” he wrote on Twitter.

Shymyhal reminded that “Russia thwarted the initiative regarding [exporturile] of Ukrainian wheat” through Black Sea ports, “destroying our infrastructure and causing a global food crisis again.”

The Ukrainian Prime Minister called on Kyiv’s partners and the European Commission to “ensure unhindered export of all Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU.”

“This is an act of solidarity not only with Ukraine, but also with the whole world, which relies on our grain,” he concluded.

What Poland said about the export of Ukrainian grain

Smyhal’s comments came after his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, said on Wednesday that his country would maintain a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products after September 15, even if the European Commission decides otherwise.

“We will not open borders for products from Ukraine on September 15. We will only allow their transit. I want to say clearly: we will not open this border. Either the European Commission establishes rules that extend this ban, or we will do it ourselves anyway (…) We will be tough, we will be decisive, we will protect the Polish farmer,” Morawiecki said at a press conference he held in Warsaw.

To help Ukraine after Russia’s war against the country last February, the EU suspended tariffs and other trade protection measures on Ukrainian imports, including grain and other food products.

However, this measure meant that large volumes of Ukrainian grain, which was supposed to be only in transit to Eastern European states through the “solidarity corridors”, remained in these countries, where they were sold below the prices that local producers could offer, for one reason or another. the fact that Ukrainian grain was not imposed by Brussels to comply with European production standards.

Most of Ukraine’s neighboring countries have imposed a ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products

Mateusz Moravetski’s comments on Wednesday came shortly after Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said his country, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia would ask the European Commission to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine beyond the September 15 deadline. .

The five countries have become the main alternative transit routes for Ukrainian grain to help offset a slowdown in exports through the country’s Black Sea ports since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last year.

In May, the European Union allowed them to ban domestic sales of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, allowing only the transit of these goods for export to other countries, including other EU countries.

This ban ends on September 15, after being extended once again through the summer.

The Hungarian minister noted that the position of the majority of the five members is for the ban to remain in force until December 31, which Hungary also supports.

Follow the latest events of the 512th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.